Posted by Sheila Knott on Tue, Feb 16, 2010 @ 02:01 PM
By: Steve O'Dea - Pacer Solutions Expert
For many years the marine industry has been our bread and butter. We have been with boat builders, marine manufacturers, and aftermarket suppliers as our customer base. They love the fact that our tinned copper superior wire and cable is flexible, high quality and easy to work with. Being a wire and cable manufacturer means we also have a competitive price advantage over most distributors and retail centers. Marine repair professionals are used to seeing our name on boat wire, on the boats they work on to get back to seaworthiness. This has been good news and a little bad news for Pacer. The good news is that we are the company most people think of when they are considering wiring for a boat. The bad news is that sometimes people only think of us when they are considering wiring for a boat and not for appliances, automobiles or other industrial applications. Hopefully we can change that perception soon.
Underwriters Laboratories® (UL) classifies just about every product we use daily and wire is certainly no exception. The wire we manufacture, right here in Sarasota, Florida is UL1015. This is a great, all around type of electronics or appliance wire. This do-it-all (OK, not ALL but you get the point) wire is a stranded, flexible, hook up wire. While this wire is qualified for many wiring applications, the construction is very basic. It is primarily manufactured with stranded, solid, bare and tinned copper conductors with PVC insulation. This PVC insulation creates a chemical, flame and moisture resistant barrier. We manufacture our UL1015 using stranded tinned copper conductors.
UL1015 hook up wire is typically rated for use up to 600 volts and for temperatures up to 105° Celsius in a dry location. This rating lends itself to use in various types of equipment. The difference between bare copper and tinned copper typically comes down to application and preference of the installer. The tinning is to help defend against corrosion. This is why it is used so much in marine applications. In the harshest environments people use this wire, so for added value use this wire when the environment is not as harsh. Because we manufacture this wire, you may find it more cost effective and better than purchasing through a distribution chain. This makes the UL1015 wire we manufacture the perfect solution for so many applications that its uses are endless, even outside of the marine industry. Call or email us to discuss your latest project and how our high quality wire can help: 941-378-5774 / websales@pacergroup.net
Posted by Sheila Knott on Thu, Oct 08, 2009 @ 03:18 PM
Wire is typically designated "marine wire" if the conductors are tinned to reduce corrosion on the wire.
Did you know that temperature ratings are also important? If the wire does not have a temperature rating on the jacket, you have to assume it is 60˚C rated and it is not suitable for engine rooms.
It is also important to remember that current carrying capacity is directly related to the temperature rating. Since the wire itself is a resistor (very low resistance, but a resistor none the less) as current flows through the wire, it creates heat and the more current the more heat. A 60˚C 16ga wire can only handle 15A outside an engine room, the only place you can use it. A 105˚C rated wire of the same size can handle 25A. This is 166% more current carrying capacity because of the increased temperature rating.
Which would you rather have on your boat?